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Between June 19 and 23, a delegation of four faculty members from Carnegie Mellon University (CMU) visited  19  Portuguese Labs, Research Centers, and Institutes in the areas of nanotechnologies and material characterization. Over four intensive days,  the CMU Professors engaged in brainstorming sessions and meaningful discussions with the Portuguese Researchers, identifying common interests and directions of  future research directions and collaborations under the scope of CMU Portugal Program.

The CMU delegation consisted of Theresa S. Mayer, Vice-President of Research at CMU and Professor in the Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering and the Department of Materials Science and Engineering; Elizabeth Dickey, Department Head, Teddy and Wilton Hawkins, Distinguished Professor in the Department of Materials Science and Engineering; Gary Fedder, Faculty Director, Manufacturing Futures Initiatives, Howard M. Wilkoff Professor, in the Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering & the Robotics Institute; and Gianluca Piazza, Nanofab Director and STMicroelectronics Professor at the Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering. Throughout the visit, they were accompanied by José M. F. Moura, Director of the CMU Portugal Program at CMU, Philip L. and Marsha Dowd University Professor, Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering, and Sílvia Castro, the CMU Portugal Program Executive Director in Portugal. 

This visit followed the visit by Elvira Fortunato, the Portuguese Minister of Science, Technology, and Higher Education, and Madalena Alves, President of Fundação para a CIência e a Tecnologia (FCT)  to Carnegie Mellon in March. The discussions then suggested that the CMU Portugal Program explore nanotechnologies and nanomaterials as potential new areas of future collaboration.

On June 20th, the delegation’s first stop was at the International Iberian Nanotechnology Laboratory INL, where Madalena Alves (FCT’s president) and Paulo Freitas, INL Deputy Director General, welcomed the group. The visit started with a comprehensive presentation of INL activities and infrastructures by Paulo Freitas and leaders of INL’s research groups related to nanostructures and advanced materials. The delegation had the opportunity to visit several INL laboratories and INL’s research core facilities, engaging with their principal investigators and research teams. 

The CMU faculty followed then with a visit to CF-UM-UP (Physics Center of Minho and Porto Universities), where they were received by António Onofre and Mikhail Vasilevskiy, the current and former CF-UM-UP Directors, respectively, along with research group members at the Gualtar campus of the University of Minho. Mikhail Vasilevskiy presented the institution’s main research fields and strategic lines of research.

Transitioning from the Universidade do Minho Gualtar Campus in Braga to the Azurém Campus in Guimarães, the group was welcomed by Pedro Arezes, the President of the School of Engineering of the Universidade do Minho, and representatives from five different Institutions:  Pedro Nunes– IPC (Institute for Polymers and Composites), André Matos – DTx (Digital Transformation CoLab),  António J Pontes, DONE Lab (Advanced Manufacturing Laboratory of Products and Tools), André Catarino – 2C2T (Centre for Textile Science and Technology) and Pedro Mimoso – PIEP (Centre for Innovation in Polymer Engineering). The CMU group had the opportunity to interact with members of each institution, visit their research facilities, and gain insight into their capabilities and accomplishments.

On June 21st,  the CMU delegation made their way to Porto, starting their visit at CEiiA (Centre of Engineering and Product Development), where they were received by Rui Magalhães,  Director of the Space & Ocean Unit. Rui Magalhães provided an overview of CEiiA’s foundations and the ongoing work in aeronautics, mobility, naval/offshore, and automotive sectors. The visit concluded with a guided tour of CEiiA’s facilities and manufacturing plant.

The CMU delegation next visited the Fraunhofer Portugal AICOS in Porto, a non-profit private association founded by Fraunhofer-Gesellschaft, Europe’s largest organization for applied research. The delegation was welcomed by Liliana Ferreira, the Director of Fraunhofer Portugal AICOS, and her team. They presented the Center’s research work, including two projects developed within the scope of FCT’s international partnerships. One notable project was TAMI,  a CMU Portugal Large-Scale project that uses AI tools to develop a platform to support medical decisions.

The CMU delegation’s next destination was Aveiro, the hometown of Universidade de Aveiro, where they visited two institutions. First, they visited CICECO -Aveiro Institute of Materials, where they were welcomed by Artur Silva, Universidade de Aveiro Vice-Rector, to research, innovation, and third cycle training. João Coutinho, Director of CICECO, provided an overview of the institution’s organization and facilities. Several CICECO group leaders briefly presented their main activities and research topics. Rute Ferreira, the Vice-Director of CICECO, then guided the group through a visit to some of its facilities and laboratories, giving them a firsthand experience of the institution’s research capabilities. Next, the group explored I3N Aveiro, where António Luís Ferreira, the Vice-Coordinator, presented the institution and the research lines being conducted at the Aveiro campus. The meeting was attended by some of the institution’s principal investigators, who guided the group through a visit to their respective laboratories. This allowed the delegation to gain insights into the ongoing research activities and collaborations at I3N Aveiro.

On June 22nd,  the tour headed to the city of Coimbra, home to the  Universidade de Coimbra. Founded in 1290, it is one of the oldest universities in Europe and has been classified as a World Heritage site by UNESCO. The Universidade de Coimbra tour included stops at CFisUC (Centre for Physics of the University of Coimbra), hosted by José Paixão, Head of CFisUC. Researchers from the institution joined the discussion, where they elaborated on the research lines of the five working groups within CFisUC. Continuing their visit to Coimbra, the delegation then proceeded to  CEMMPRE (Centre for Mechanical Engineering, Materials, and Processes). Albano Cavaleiro, the Center President, and colleagues from the research center received them. During their visit, the group discussed the research lines pursued by CEMMPRE, focusing on examples of nanomaterials and nanotechnology applications. This gave the delegation valuable insights into their cutting-edge research and innovations in these fields.

After visiting Coimbra, the delegation moved on to the Lisbon area, where they visited two  universities: Universidade de Lisboa and Universidade Nova de Lisboa. Starting at Universidade de Lisboa, their first stop was at the Laboratory for Robotics and Engineering Systems (LARSyS) at Instituto Superior Técnico, where José Santos-Victor, the President of LARSyS, hosted them. Pedro Lima, President of the ISR (Institute for Systems and Robotics), Alexandre Bernardino, who had previously led CMU Portugal research projects, and Nuno Nunes, CMU Portugal Co-Director and ITI president, also participated in the visit.

The delegation then had the opportunity to discuss research lines and opportunities with CeFEMA (Center of Physics and Engineering of Advanced Materials). The discussion was led by João Seixas, the President of CeFEMA, and researchers from each of the seven research topics being developed at the institution actively participated.

The day concluded with a visit to the facilities of INESC-MN (INESC Microsistemas e Nanotechnologies), where they were received by João Conde, President at INESC MN, Virginia Chu and Susana Cardoso. The discussion  revolved around micro- and nanotechnologies and their applications in electronics, biology, and biomedical devices.

June 23rd marked the last day of the tour, and the final visit was to FCT NOVA, where the group had the opportunity to visit CENIMAT hosted by Rodrigo Martins, Director of CENIMAT | i3N. The delegation familiarized themselves with the work of the six research groups organized into four thematic lines at i3N, particularly focusing on the ones based at CENIMAT, as they had previously visited the i3N polo in Aveiro. The visit also included a tour of the facilities and laboratories.

The visit concluded with a wrap-up meeting and lunch at Fundação para a Ciência e Tecnologia (FCT) with Elvira Fortunato, the Portuguese Minister of Science, Technology, and Higher Education; Madalena Alves, the President of FCT; and Francisco Santos, the Vice-President of FCT. The group was joined by Inês Lynce, CMU Portugal Co-Director; Mariana Carmo, CMU Portugal Communications office; and Ana Reis, from FCT Department for International Relations. During the working lunch, Theresa S. Mayer summarized the visit to the 19 institutions, highlighting the collaboration opportunities that had emerged from the trip. Gary Fedder and Gianluca Piazza supported Mayer’s conclusions, adding potential future intersections with the work being developed at the institutions that they lead at CMU. The fruitful discussion on the outcomes of the visit led the Minister to emphasize the importance of this new area of research. 

CMU Portugal would like to express its gratitude to all the Portuguese teams and institutions for their warm welcome, insightful presentations, and for the invaluable opportunity to explore their research facilities and share their expertise and dedication to advancing scientific research that inspire groundbreaking work.

The visit to Portugal’s research institutions showcased the country’s strong commitment to scientific advance and innovation. The fruitful discussions, valuable exchanges, and exposure to cutting-edge research conducted by the Portuguese institutions demonstrated the opportunity for meaningful interdisciplinary collaboration and the potential for synergy between CMU and the Portuguese institutions.  The discussions highlighted emerging research areas, including nanotechnologies, advanced materials, robotics, engineering systems, and intelligent manufacturing where products, processes and entire factories are automatically updated by collecting data on their digital twins.  This visit by the CMU Professors further strengthened the ties between CMU and the Portuguese institutions, fostering a spirit of collaboration, knowledge sharing, and mutual growth. 

The Encontro Ciência 2023 Summit took place July 5th to 7th, 2023, featuring the Portuguese Prime Minister, António Costa, and the Minister of Science, Technology, and Higher Education, Elvira Fortunato. The event is the central Science Conference in Portugal promoted by the Ministry of Science Technology and Higher Education (MCTES) along with Fundação para a Ciência e Tecnologia (FCT). 

During the Opening Ceremony on July 5th, the Prime Minister bestowed Medals of Scientific Merit upon both national and foreign individuals who have made remarkable contributions to the advancement of science and the fostering of scientific culture in Portugal. One of the esteemed recipients was Manuela Veloso, a distinguished computer scientist and AI researcher, who has been an integral part of the CMU Portugal faculty since the partnership’s inception in 2006. 

Manuela Veloso speech at Opening Session: 1.21.30 

In the afternoon, the CMU Portugal Program hosted the “FCT International Partnerships: Building bridges across the Atlantic” session in collaboration with the MIT Portugal Program (MPP) and UT Austin Portugal. This year, the three international partnerships joined forces to promote a discussion on the far-reaching impact of the FCT GO Portugal collaborations with US institutions.

To showcase the remarkable accomplishments spanning nearly two decades of existence, these partnerships have collaborated on creating an overview video that offers a glimpse into their key outcomes. These include promoting the internationalization of Portuguese scientific and higher education institutions to boost the competitiveness of Portuguese companies and facilitating the mobility and development of highly skilled individuals.

The first panel began with an open discussion involving stakeholders from the three Programs. Each discussion was moderated by a director from the respective partnerships, ensuring a well-rounded exploration of the Program’s impact.

Nuno Nunes, CMU Portugal Program Director, opened the discussion starting by inviting Petia Georgieva, an Associate Professor with Habilitation of Machine Learning at the University of Aveiro, and a senior researcher at the Institute of Electronics Engineering and Telematics of Aveiro (IEETA), as a distinguished guest. Georgieva was a CMU Portugal visiting faculty at Carnegie Mellon University, having spent time at both the Silicon Valley and Pittsburgh campuses. During her testimony, she referred to her time at CMU as a “game-changing experience”. During her mobility visit, she was hosted by Tom Mitchell, a well-renowned computer scientist and the Founders University Professor at Carnegie Mellon University (CMU) and former Chair of the Machine Learning Department at CMU.

“It was a transformative moment in my life. Thanks to my experience at CMU and under the guidance of Tom Mitchell, I acquired the necessary knowledge to pioneer the launch of Machine Learning and AI courses at Universidade de Aveiro. To this day, I am recognized within my university for this significant contribution.” – Petia Georgieva

Pedro Arezes, MIT Portugal Director, and MPP Ph.D. alum Eunice Costa represented the MPP. Eunice currently holds a prominent role as the leader of the Research & Development area of Inhalation and Advanced Drug Delivery at Hovione. During her intervention, she emphasized the significant impact of her MPP Ph.D. and her experience at MIT, highlighting how her company highly regarded these achievements and was instrumental in her professional growth. From UT Austin Portugal, the program’s Co-Director, Rui Oliveira, joined forces with Jorge Sá Silva, Associate Professor at the Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering (DEEC) of FCTUC and a Researcher at INESC Coimbra.  Jorge shared his experience and insights gained through their involvement with the UT Austin Portugal Program, highlighting its profound impact on his professional pathways.

Transitioning to the project presentations, the second panel brought together representatives from research consortia funded through international partnerships.

Inês Lynce, the National Co-Director of CMU Portugal, Doug Hart, the Co-Director of the MIT Portugal Program at MIT, and Rui Oliveira, the National Co-Director of UT Austin Portugal, showcased the projects and initiatives undertaken by their respective programs. Their presentations encapsulated the essence of the partnerships, demonstrating their commitment to driving innovation and fostering collaboration between Portuguese and US institutions.

The round of presentations started with Carlos Viegas,  one of the researchers that led the CMU Portugal Project Safeforest. Carlos Viegas holds the position of Invited Professor at the Department of Mechanical Engineering of the University of Coimbra, where he also serves as the head of the Field Tech Laboratory of ADAI.   His research focuses on developing cutting-edge technological solutions in autonomous robots, remote sensing, mechatronics, and fire engineering. In addition to his academic achievements, Carlos Viegas is also the Co-Founder and Manager of three technology-based spinoff companies: Bold Robotics, Lda., Hazred Lda., and Sim4Safety Lda.

During his presentation, Carlos Viegas highlighted the work accomplished under the Safeforest, a CMU Portugal Large Scale Collaborative Project. This initiative was led by the company Ingeniarius, in partnership with SILVAPOR, ADAI, ISR from Universidade de Coimbra, and CMU. Its primary objective is to revolutionize forest wildfire prevention by developing an advanced robotic system to prevent wildland and wildland-urban interface fires.

Leveraging on the opportunities for interaction and research advancement, Carlos Viegas highlighted the strengths of this partnership to drive innovation: 

“It has been a highly collaborative endeavor, combining efforts from both academia and industry in a multidisciplinary project. The full commitment of all teams involved in Portugal and CMU, led by George Kantor, the Project PI in the US, enabled us to achieve the project’s ambitious goals. Through more than 11 research visits spanning Portugal and CMU, we have had abundant opportunities to foster meaningful interactions and propel our research to new heights. This partnership has enabled us to harness the very best from both sides, unlocking the full potential of our collective expertise and presenting state-of-the-art technical solutions to address the global problem of wildfires.” – Carlos Viegas

The session featured two other project presentations: Eduardo Pereira (University of Minho) presented the MPP flagship project K2D – Knowledge and Data from the Deep to Space, which is developing a system for monitoring the oceans on a global scale. And Tiago Hormigo from the company Spin.Works, introduced the UT Austin Portugal project uPGRADE, which focused on how the water moves on the Earth’s near-surface at a regional scale.

After the presentations, the Co-Directors of the international partnerships moderated a brief discussion on the impact and contribution of the US partner institutions to the projects. The discussion focused on the results of the projects and offered a look into the future of these collaborations.

Additionally, CMU Portugal had three posters exhibited at the Poster Session with great examples of the research work being led by its candidates under their Ph.D.:

• António Brito: “A New Spectrum Sensing Technique with Double Threshold”
• Diogo Pereira: “Decentralized mmWave Medium Access Control (MAC) Scheme”
•  Keivan Kaboutari: “Beamforming Metasurfaces for Telecommunication Applications”
• Manuel Reis Carneiro: “Recyclable thin-film soft electronics for smart packaging and e-skins”

More about Encontro Ciência 2023.

The overview video of the FCT International Partnerships is available on CMU Portugal Youtube. 

The CMU Portugal program hosted a summer luncheon on the Carnegie Mellon campus in Pittsburgh on July 10, 2023. National Co-Director Nuno Nunes was visiting Pittsburgh along with CMU Portugal Affiliated Ph.D. student Shuhao Ma that will be presenting the paper “Uncovering Gig Worker-Centered Design Opportunities in Food Delivery Work” at the Designing Interactive Systems (DIS) 2023 taking place at Carnegie Mellon University in Pittsburgh (USA) between July 10 and 14th.

This event brought him together with CMU Portugal students currently studying in Pittsburgh. Attending students included Dual Degree Ph.D., Affiliated Ph.D., and visiting students from across disciplines, including Software and Societal Systems (S3D), Electrical and Computer Engineering (ECE), Human Computer Interaction (HCII) and Robotics. Valentina Nisi, Associate Professor at Instituto Superior Tecnico and advisor to CMU Portugal Dual Degree Ph.D. students in the HCII also attended the luncheon. This gathering  gave everyone an opportunity to catch-up while enjoying a meal together, sharing their experiences at CMU in Pittsburgh over the last year and addressing potential challenges for the upcoming academic year. 

Front row: Neeta Khanuja (Dual Degree Ph.D. Student), Maria da Loura Casimiro (Dual Degree Ph.D Student) and Valentina Nisi (Técnico and ITI).
Back row: Shuhao Ma (Affiliated Ph.D. student), Hugo Simão (Unaffiliated Visiting student), Nuno Nunes (CMU Portugal and ITI), Tamás Karácsony (Affiliated Ph.D. Student), Catarina Gamboa (Dual Degree Ph.D. student), Beatrice Maggipinto (Dual Degree Ph.D. Student) in the back row and Marta Ferreira (Técnico and ITI). 

Not Pictured: Pedro Valdeira and Diogo Mendes Cardoso, both Dual Degree Ph.D. Students. 

On May 26th, 2023, the CMU Portugal Program hosted the Talk “Human-Centered and Responsible AI” by Carol Smith,  a senior research scientist in human-machine interaction in the Carnegie Mellon Software Engineering Institute’s Artificial Intelligence Division, which addresses the need for leap-ahead AI capabilities that are reliable, responsible, safe, fair, and transparent.

Under an invitation by the CMU Portugal Program, Carol Smith spent a fruitful morning learning more about some of the initiatives in the field of Human Computer Interaction (HCI) and Responsible AI in which the Program is involved.

Nuno Nunes, CMU Portugal National Director and ITI President, started by sharing  an overview of the Program and its main activities. 

Shuhao Ma and Pedro Ferreira had the opportunity to present their work under Ph.Ds. Shuhao Ma is a CMU Portugal Affiliated Ph.D. student in HCI and an HCI design researcher at ITI, LARSyS. Pedro Ferreira is a CMU Portugal Affiliated Ph.D. student whose primary interest is research and development in Child-Computer Interaction and the participation of educational communities. The discussion also included the participation of Duarte Ferreira, a CMU Portugal affiliated Ph.D. Student. 

The presentations continued with Hugo Nicolau, Assistant Professor at Instituto Superior Técnico and researcher at the Interactive Technologies Institute / LARSyS. Hugo presented the DCitizens project that aims to build the capacity to conduct research in the field of Digital Civics. Particularly how digital technologies can scaffold a move from transactional to relational service models and the potential of such models to reconfigure power relations between citizens, communities, and institutions.

João Guerreiro, Assistant Professor at Faculdade de Ciências da Universidade de Lisboa and a researcher at LASIGE, followed the conversation with the highlights of HCI being conducted at this institution mainly in Human-Computer Interaction, Non-Visual Interaction, and Accessible Computing.

Helena Moniz, President of the European Association for Machine Translation, Vice President of the International Association for Machine Translation, and Vice-Coordinator of the Human Language Technologies Lab at INESC-ID presented next the new project Center for Responsible AI, where she Chairs the Ethics Committee. This Center, led by the Portuguese startup Unbabel and launched within the Portuguese Recovery and Resilience Plan, is one of the largest centers dedicated to Responsible AI.

The discussion sessions concluded with  the CMU Portugal Talk “Human-Centered and Responsible AI”. The event gathered over 30 participants at CMU Portugal/ITI Premises at Factory (Hub Criativo do Beato). During this talk, Carol Smith focused on new insights for building AI systems that are human-centered and responsible to support participants in creating systems that people are willing to be accountable for.

According to Smith, through decades of HCI and UX efforts, excellent methods and practices have been developed. Still, the dynamic nature of AI systems requires more speculative thinking and more flexible designs. For example, there’s the need to decide which decisions systems are allowed to make; what exchanges between humans and machines will occur; how the interactions will change over time; and how people can be kept safe and in control. It is also crucial to focus on problems such as: how the system will share information on which decisions were based on, how it will convey its capabilities within new contexts, and how the system’s confidence in its responses will be shared. 

The talk ended with a Q&A by the audience focusing on some issues related to the importance of Responsible AI, ethics, and the role of human-centered design, namely in serving but also preserving humans and a younger generation of users. The discussion continued during a light lunch at the premises, an opportunity to network and open doors for future collaborations.

Learn more about the speaker at Carol J. Smith.
CMU Artificial Intelligence (AI) Division

The CMU Portugal Program hosted on May 10th an Info Session to guide potential candidates to apply to the Open Call for Mobility Programs “Visiting Students” and “Visiting Faculty & Researchers” .

The Info Session was addressed to all researchers and students who wanted to confirm their eligibility for these initiatives and spend a research period at CMU, guiding them through the requirements to submit a successful application.  

Applications are open until June 2nd. 

The Info Session was moderated by the Program Executive Director in Portugal, Sílvia Castro, and started with CMU Portugal National Co-Director Nuno Nunes, who spoke about his experience under the CMU Portugal Program. Nuno has been involved with the Program since its first phase, as Faculty member and researcher, followed by a period as Scientific Director and now National Co-Director. At the end of his welcome note, he encouraged all participants to apply and try to benefit from this great opportunity to be immersed in one of the top ICT universities in the World. 

The application guidelines and main requirements were then introduced by João Fumega, CMU Portugal’s Education Officer. Megan Berty, CMU Portugal Associate Director at CMU, spoke next on the CMU requirements and the support available by the CMU Portugal coordination office in Pittsburgh.

To know more about the specific requirements to each initiative you can follow these links: “Visiting Students” and “Visiting Faculty & Researchers” .

Next, Marta Freitas who visited CMU in 2022 as a Visiting student, shared her experience with the audience. Marta was at the time a Researcher at the Institute of Systems and Robotics (University of Coimbra), hosted at the Department of Mechanical Engineering by Professor Carmel Majidi. Her research topic is centered on “Integrated Printed Soft Robots” and, as a result of this visit, she applied to the 2022/23 Call for Dual Degree Ph.D.s. 

Pedro Moura, a 2019 Visiting Faculty and Researchers participant, also shared a few words with the audience. Pedro is currently an Assistant Professor at the University of Coimbra and Researcher at the Institute of Systems and Robotics (ISR Coimbra). He was hosted at CMU by Javad Mohammadi from the Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering in the College of Engineering. His research activities are focused on smart grids and energy planning, with research work on topics such as demand-side management and demand response programs, grid integration of renewable energy generation, electric vehicles, and energy storage. It is a collaboration that started on 2019 through this initiative and that continues today. 

Finally, to end the session, there was time for a fruitful 20-minute Q&A, which allowed all participants to clarify their doubts with the panelists. 

For further questions you can visit our website and check our FAQ Page or contact us at apply@cmuportugal.org.

The Safeforest project, a CMU Portugal Large Scale Collaborative Project,  hosted a final Workshop on May 4th at the Instituto de Sistemas e Robótica da Universidade de Coimbra. The event brought together members of the consortia and a diverse  audience to showcase the project’s closing remarks and successful results.

Funded through PT2020 and FCT under the CMU Portugal Program, the Safeforest – Semi-Autonomous Robotic System for Forest Cleaning and Fire Prevention is a groundbreaking initiative led by the company Ingeniarius, in partnership with SILVAPOR, ADAI (Associação para o Desenvolvimento da Aerodinâmica Industrial), ISR from Universidade de Coimbra and CMU (Carnegie Mellon University).

Its primary objective is to revolutionize forest wildfire prevention by developing an advanced robotic system for the prevention of wildland and wildland-urban interface fires. The robotic system will focus on creating wide protection corridors used as fuel barriers to control and reduce the spread of large forest fires.

The Opening session was kicked-off by Prof. Aníbal Traça de Almeida, providing an insightful introduction to the project and its noteworthy outcomes. This was followed by a presentation from Sílvia Castro,  CMU Portugal Executive Director, who shed  light on the Program’s overall activities, placing special emphasis on the impactful Large Scale Projects initiative, which was launched in 2018 and is set to conclude by June 2023.

The morning was dedicated to a technical presentation showcasing the remarkable advancements made by the Safeproject consortium in the field of robotic systems. Esteemed researchers from the collaborating entities took the stage to share their contributions: Micael Couceiro (Ingeniarius); Beril Yalcinkaya (Ingeniarius), Carlos Viegas (ADAI), Paulo Peixoto (ISR), Luís Conde (ISR), David Russell (CMU).  

The next panel delved on societal topics related to the importance of forest management as a measure to promote their resilience. Virgílio Bernardino from Silvapor and Miguel Almeida from ADAI, led the discussion presenting the research done on the characterization of houses and surroundings in rural areas in Portugal, protection measures to prevent wildfires, and other related topics. 

In the afternoon, the workshop shifted gears to outdoor demonstrations, showcasing the operational capabilities of two key robots: the SCOUT drone and the semi-autonomous platform RANGER. 

George Kantor (PI of the Project at CMU Robotics Institute), Maria Eduarda Andrada (CMU Affiliated Ph.D. student at Universidade de Coimbra) and David Russell (M.Sc. student at CMU), traveled from Pittsburgh for the event, one of multiple trips during this three year project. “The SafeForest project provided a fantastic opportunity for my group at CMU to apply our research in a new domain (forestry) with new partners at universities and companies in Portugal. We were able to adapt a sensing payload that had previously been used from terrestrial vehicles in agricultural settings for us on aerial drones for mapping forests. The core CMU team was composed of two professors, a project scientist, and two masters students. Through multiple trips both ways across the Atlantic, we all had plenty of opportunities to interact directly with Portuguese team members in the US and in Portugal “, shared George Kantor.

The CMU team then showcased the demonstration of SCOUT’s capacities to  perform the mapping of the terrain and the identification of the forest areas to be cleared.

Moving to the RANGER, this semi-autonomous mobile platform consists of a compact track loader with a sensor toolkit installed, capable of removing excess vegetation based on the preliminary mapping of the area, achieving the necessary clearing of fuel breaks. 

The integration of this comprehensive system allows for terrain management planning using the map data gathered by the SCOUT, needed to effectively plan missions and trajectories for the RANGER, optimizing time and cost-effectiveness. The system presents these plans to the user, offering the opportunity to review, simulate, and make necessary adjustments. Designed with a user-friendly interface and intuitive operation, the system caters to both forest operators and landowners.

According to Micael Couceiro, Ingeniarius CEO, “the development of these two semi-autonomous robots has significantly enhanced land clearing missions compared to traditional methods. The software designed for terrain and vegetation mapping, along with the platform for managing and visualizing the collected data, have been instrumental in enabling more effective clearing missions.”

By employing these mobile robots, it is possible to remove redundant vegetation efficiently and safely, reducing the risk of forest wildfires. Moreover, the ability for robots to navigate semi-autonomously reduces hazards for human operators, minimizes the environmental impact of land clearing by reducing, for example, the use of herbicides, and improves the adaptability to different types of terrain and weather conditions.

However, as noted by Micael Couceiro “While the Safeforest project has achieved significant results, there is still further work required to make the solution commercially viable. In particular, we need to improve the integration between perception and action of robots, enabling them to operate more effectively in complex and dynamic environments, such as those found in forests.”

The PI at CMU added “there is still much work to do, but the SafeForest project represents an important and tangible step toward using robotics and AI to mitigate potential wild fires around the world. ”

The event also counted with the presence of the 2nd  Regional Commander Francisco Peraboa, representing the Autoridade Nacional de Emergência e Proteção Civil (the National Emergency and Civil Protection Authority).

The three year project which started in 2019, will end by June 2023. However, the team has plans to further develop these technologies in the future by applying to other funding initiatives. 

The Safeforest Project – Semi-Autonomous Robotic System for Forest Cleaning and Fire Prevention (CENTRO-01-0247-FEDER-045931) – is co-financed by FEDER, COMPETE 2020, by the CENTRO2020 Program and by Fundação para a Ciência e Tecnologia (FCT) under the CMU Portugal Program.

Workshop Video
In the Media: TSF; Techenet ; Science X; Bit Magazine

More about the project here.

The CMU Portugal program hosted an End of Semester Brunch on campus in the Cohon University Center on April 28th, 2023. This event brought together CMU Portugal students who are currently studying in Pittsburgh including Dual Degree Ph.D., Affiliated Ph.D., and visiting students. Attending students were from multiple CMU departments including Software and Societal Systems (S3D), Language Technologies Institute (LTI), Electrical and Computer Engineering (ECE), Computer Science (CS) and Robotics.

As the Spring 2023 semester came to a close, this event offered an opportunity for students to enjoy a meal while gathering to discuss summer plans, build relationships, and network. 

If you want the opportunity to experience a research period at CMU, the CMU Portugal Program and Fundação para a Ciência e a Tecnologia (FCT) have currently an open call for up to 10 visiting faculty and 12 visiting students. For more information on this call, please visit our 2023 Mobility Initiatives page. For information on the application process, please visit our Admissions and Scholarships page. 

CMU Portugal Ph.D. students Carolina Carreira, Cláudio Gomes, Luís Gomes and Manuel Reis Carneiro are among the 2022 Huawei Scholarship Program recipients, an initiative that distinguishes university students in ICT related areas for their academic and personal merit. The 50 winners were selected among 5300 applicants and received a prize of 5000€ each in a Ceremony held in Lisbon.

Under the theme “Seeds for the Future 2.0”, the 2022 edition of the initiative sponsored by Huawei, aims at promoting Higher Education in Portugal and to support young talents in the field of technology. In addition to engineering, technology, and related areas, this second edition was extended to renewable energies due to the growth of the area in Portugal. 

Regarding the four CMU Portugal awardees: 

Carolina Carreira

“I am thrilled to be one of the recipients of the Huawei scholarship program. Not only does this program foster gender equality in the engineering industry, but it also recognizes the importance of cultivating talent and innovation for a better tomorrow. With this scholarship, I primarily intend to support travel expenses, allowing me to collaborate with more researchers. I am very grateful for this opportunity and its recognition.”

Carolina Carreira is a CMU Portugal Dual Degree Ph.D. student in Human Computer-Interaction enrolled in 2022 at Instituto Superior Técnico (Técnico) and Carnegie Mellon University’s Human-Computer Interaction Institute. She is also a researcher at INESC ID, and her main research topic is Usable Security, focused on users’ motivations and concerns when using security software. 

Cláudio Gomes

“I am thrilled and honored to receive this recognition from Huawei! This is such a wonderful initiative and will make a significant difference in my Dual Ph.D. Program. The funding will be very valuable to acquire new equipment and may help me attend conferences so I learn in the best conditions and from the best. Plus, I am so proud of my fellow CMU Portugal colleagues who also got the distinction. We are part of an amazing community, and I am glad that Huawei sees our potential and value.”

Cláudio is a CMU Portugal Dual Degree Ph.D. student in Electrical and Computer Engineering (ECE) at FCUP and Carnegie Mellon ECE Department. He has a master’s degree in informatics engineering, with a subspecialty in Intelligent Systems. He has been performing extensive research on Quantum Computing, with a focus on Finance.

Luís Gomes

“I am thrilled and grateful to have received the Huawei scholarship. The award means a lot to me, and I cannot express enough how thankful I am to everyone who helped me over the years. The scholarship is a recognition of my hard work and dedication, and it allows me to pursue my dreams and educational goals. With this scholarship, I plan to invest even more in my education. As a CMU Portugal student, I’ll be able to visit the US and Carnegie Mellon more often, working in research and attending workshops and conferences. Additionally, I will use the funds to purchase the necessary material for my studies, which will enhance my learning experience and help me achieve my academic goals.”

Luís Gomes is a CMU Portugal Dual Degree Ph.D. student in Software Engineering at FCUP and CMU Software and Societal Systems Department. He has a master’s degree in computer science, specializing in Intelligent Systems and Data Science. Luís research topics relate to SE and AI, especially using DL techniques to solve real-life.

Manuel Reis Carneiro

“I am truly honored and grateful to have received this grant from Huawei. Knowing that my academic efforts and accomplishments have not gone unnoticed is great. This grant is not only a financial reward, but the whole selection process was a journey of self-knowledge that made me look at myself from a different perspective so I could better and more effectively present myself, my achievements, and the projects i’m involved in. Being a recipient of this Huawei grant is also a recognition and reminder of my pledge to society: using my skills and knowledge to build a better future through my academic and scientific work.”

Manuel Reis Carneiro is a CMU Portugal Dual Degree Ph.D. student in Electrical and Computer Engineering at Universidade de Coimbra and CMU ECE Department. Manuel has an M.Sc. degree in electrical and computer engineering with a specialization in automation from Universidade de Coimbra. His research interests include stretchable and printed electronics, bioelectronic systems, and human-machine interfaces, with a particular focus on medical applications.

The 2021 edition list of winners is available here and included CMU Portugal Dual Degree Ph.D. student in Software Engineering Catarina Gamboa.